


Acknowledge

by abigail89



Category: Almost Human
Genre: Bromance, Epic Friendship, Gen, M/M, Possible Romance?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-18
Updated: 2013-11-18
Packaged: 2018-01-01 23:55:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1050095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abigail89/pseuds/abigail89
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the aftermath of seeing the face of his ex-girlfriend in his recovered memories, Dorian is there to help John. Events of ep 01x01</p>
            </blockquote>





	Acknowledge

"You're lucky you got a bleeding heart for a partner."

Kennex releases Dorian's wrist. His mind is still scrambled from the treatment and from the defibrillator Dorian used on him to save his sorry life. Not for the first time, he fleetingly wonders why the fuck he puts himself through these re-remembering sessions, and then he sees the face that he's dreaded seeing, the one that makes him sick to his stomach. The one that makes him wishes Dorian had just let his heart stop for good....

"You're lucky you got a bleeding heart for a partner."

Trouble is, he thought, Anna had a bleeding heart, too. She loved lost causes and would cry if she saw a small child in pain or an old man expressing how much he missed his dead beloved spouse. She would've adopted every stray cat and dog she came across had it not been for him telling her it was impossible to save them all. But she would've gladly tried, and walked away from them because she thought he would disapprove.

But now, seeing her face, her impassive face looking back at him, down at him, down at the ground, at the bleeding mess that was his right leg, blown to nothingness by a motherfucking bomb thrown by....

Grief. Rage. He alternates between these emotions as the doctor takes his vitals. Sadness threatens to overwhelm him as he's helped to sit up, take a sip of cool water. Her face. Nothing. Nothing.

He thinks he hears Dorian tell the doc he'll get him home. The doctor protests, insists they stay for a while for him to recover, but Dorian says they need to get away. "We may," the synthetic says, "have been observed coming in here."

Kennex feels his shirt being tugged on over his head, his jacket slipped up heavy, compliant arms. Slowly, feeling comes back into his feet, his hands--hands that used to touch her, touch her everywhere, and his on her body, everywhere.

They leave the old warehouse, carefully picking their way down the rickety steel staircase, and into the mob of the inner city. Smells of different cuisines mingling together make his mouth water, and he realizes he's starving. _A good sign, yes?_

"Stop. Let me think," he says. He leans against a brick wall outside a machine shop. Dorian stands in front of him, blocking the view of passers-by, on guard, wary. He's never noticed but Dorian does that, stands in front of him. Maybe it's part of his programming.

Kennex shakes his head, willing the images of Anna way, and is surprised when his baser need for food and drink take over and replace them. "I know a good noodle joint," he says to Dorian.

"Can you walk?"

"Yeah. Think so."

The noodle shop is one of his favorites, has exactly what he wants, hot and steaming and fragrant. He slurps down the soup, enjoying the feel of the slippery rice noodles, and crunchy water chestnuts and hot sesame oiled tofu chunks. They slide down easy into his roiling stomach, quelling the nerves and dread.

And there's Dorian, a synthetic, an article life form, sitting still, a sentinel in the storm of his life. There's a slight smile on his lips, as there often is. It's a nice smile, as smiles goes. Warm and so...human.

"Olive oil."

"Olive oil?"

"Yeah. You'll thank me."

Kennes looks away, thinking. Is it weird they're discussing his fucking leg with his partner? _Partner? Is that what he is? Olive oil, huh. It's the first thing anyone's ever said about the damn thing that makes sense._ He resolves to pick up a bottle from the market tonight, because, in truth, he'll try anything at this point.

And then, "I, uh, I suppose I should acknowledge the fact that you saved my life." _There._ He's said it.

Dorian turns to him. "No need." He gives him a smile, another one.

Kennex nods, says they need to go. As he puts the bowl on the counter, he knows he _needed_ to say it, and probably more.

Maybe not today. But some day. Soon.


End file.
